Pope Francis asks, on Saturday, September 29, for a special prayer in the Marian month of October to ask for protection from those who seek to divide and to ask for evil not to prevail
The Church is under attack, and Pope Francis, on the occasion of the liturgical day for the three Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, asks the Christian people for a special prayer in the month of October. It is an initiative that signals how worried Pope Francis is about the scandals of the abuse against minors but also for the rising levels of the attacks against the Pope, the Curia, the bishops, from those who daily sow divisions, hatred and scorn towards the successors of the apostles, and favour a schismatic outlook. The facts are there for everyone to see: the exploitation of the paedophilia scandal, used in power battles within the Church, the accusations against the Pope, the ferocious and unrelenting criticisms against his person, whatever he may say or do.
The Holy See press office informs that “the Holy Father has decided to invite all the faithful throughout the world to pray the Holy Rosary every day, during the whole Marian month of October, and to unite in communion and repentance, as God’s people, in asking the Holy Mother of God and St Michael Archangel to protect the Church from the devil, who always seeks to divide us from God and from each other”.
Francis has recently met Father Frederic Fornos, international director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, and asked him “to spread throughout the world his appeal to all faithful, inviting them to end the Rosary prayer with the ancient invocation “Sub Tuum Praesidium”, and with the prayer to St Michael Archangel, who protects us and helps us in our fight against evil. On the 11th September during a homily in Santa Marta, Pope Francis quoted the first book of Job saying that this prayer is the weapon against the Great Accuser who “travels the world to find ways of accusing”. Only prayer can prevail. The Russian mystics and the great saints of all religious traditions suggested, in moments of spiritual turmoil, to seek protection under the cloak of the Holy Mother of God, with the “Sub Tuum Praesidium” invocation”.
The invocation “Sub Tuum Praesidium” says: “We fly to thee patronage, oh Holy Mother of God; despise no tour petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, oh Glorious and Blessed Virgin Amen”.
“With this request for intercession, the Holy Father asks all faithful throughout the world to pray that the Holy Mother of God put the Church under Her protective cloak: to preserve her from the devil’s attack, the great accuser, and make her at the same time, more aware of her guilt, her errors and the abuses perpetrated in the present and the past and committed to fighting without hesitation for evil not to prevail. The Holy Father has also requested the Holy Rosary to be prayed during the month of October, and to end this with Leo XIII’s prayer “Saint Michael Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snared of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits, who prowl throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.”
“Divisions are the handiest weapon for the devil to destroy the Church from within”, said the Pope two years ago. In the past few days, after the clamorous letter from former nuncio Viganò, ending with the unprecedented request for the Pope’s resignation, Francis said: “with people who only seek to sow scandal and divisions”, before “savage dogs” who seek war and not peace, the only way is “silence” and “prayer”.
The new liturgical calendar has grouped together into one day the Feasts of the three Archangels. Michael is quoted in the Bible, in the Book of Daniel, as the first of the princes and keepers of the people of Israel; he is called Archangel in the letter of Jude and in the Apocalypse. He is the one who leads other angels in the battle against the dragon, that is the devil, and defeats him.
